Good Times, Tempered With Some Concern.

Well, I've got Obama-mania, just like 52% of the rest of this country. In fact, because you're probably in Chicago, when you read this, you probably have it too. (Statistically speaking that's a safe bet.) Tuesday night I went to the Grant Park rally. It was safer, more efficient and more pleasant than I thought it would be. Even packed in a crowd of 65,000+ people. I had room to stand, could see the monitors and hear the speeches and could even, when on my tippy toes, see the distant stage and the distant speakers. It was wonderful to be a part of a celebration that big. (Imagine, instead the monumental gathering of grievers if he'd lost.) We cheered. We hugged each other. It was a blast. (Pics are available elsewhere on the blog.)

I bought an "Obama 08" t-shirt on Michigan Avenue on the night of the rally. It's the Obama "O" symbol and says "Obama 08" and looks like pressed art, aged and cracked. I dig it. I wore it to work yesterday and people I passed on the street gave me a thumbs up and smiled at me. The unspoken message was, "Yes, we did" passed between each other.

There were some roadbumps on Victory Lane, though. I got an email from a religiously-informed cousin of mine, asking politely that we all pray harder than we've ever prayed before to get this country back on God's Path. I didn't respond to that email. But taking a page from Michael Moore's email out to all followers, I graciously called my pro-McCain, pro-religion, pro-white grandparents and left them a loving message on their answering machine. I told them that I understood their disappointment. I felt the same thing in 2004. I also said that I honestly believed that there was a place for them and their voices and their opinions in an America ran by Obama. That they can't go underground for four years. But could, instead, get involved in a new initiative and make positive change for everyone. I wanted to welcome them into that. I got a terse email back from my grandmother saying that she was "praying hard for this country" and that it wasn't about her and what she was feeling, but was instead about what's best for this country. After getting that message, I called my mom and we had a long, hour and a half long conversation about politics and our crazy, backwards-ass family. And how we genuinely hope that they can relax a little bit from their hyped-up fundamentalist fervors and be a part of the positive changes ahead for our country. It was a good conversation.

In the course of the conversation with my mom, she revealed that my stepdad was in the hospital right now. He's been feeling ill and weak and generally "puny". His words, exactly. They'd scheduled an invasive internal camera into his heart to look at what was going on in there. His xrays and other reports indicated that his heart wasn't working at 100%. If there was some sort of blockage, they would have to operate on him.

I just spoke with my mom and they did find a 99% blockage in the incoming artery of his heart on the left side. The doctor says that they want to open him up and put a shunt in there, holding the artery open and clearing out the blockage. Mike's doctor's name is Dr. Ghandi. He told my mom, "Well, we found the blockage and that's very, very good. It's also positioned in such a place, that we can get right at it and fix it before it becomes a serious problem. By finding this now, we keep Mike from finding it on his own, the hard way." Which scared my mom a little bit, but ultimately reassured her too. As I type this, Mike is in surgery and having his damaged heart repaired. I'll get an update call from my mom, as soon as Mike is out of surgery.

Of course, I am worried about my stepdad. He's a good man and good husband to my mom. He keeps her happy and loved and looks after her. She loves the house that they've restored together and although he's a big bear of a man, he is as gentle and patient with her, as she needs him to be. I don't even want to think about losing him. That's just not an option right now. And luckily for us all, it's not even a probability. By undergoing this surgery, right now, we increase the chances for having him around for many years to come. My mom is scared. She broke down on the phone with me, just now and cried a little bit. I reassured her and told her that it was okay to be scared. I'm going to call her in a little bit and listen, let her vent a little bit and give her a big pep talk. That's the best that I can do, from this far away.

Life is good. Today is a good day for my country. And as positive as the bigger picture is, there are still the day-to-day challenges that need to be addressed. There is the bloody business of keeping a single heart beating, so that it's owner can enjoy this better world.

And hey, if you can, go call your parents and tell them how much you love them. Do it for Mike.

Cheers,
Mr.B

EDITED TO ADD: Just called home. Stepdad is fine. He was conscious through the whole operation and is up and awake now. I told him how impressed I was by his stamina and that I wouldn't want to fight him in a dark alley. He laughed groggily and told my mom that he was ready to go home. Wow. That man lives fiercely.
So, all is good.